Mind Games
by VisserZer0
Summary: Leon S. Kennedy moves to the medium-sized town of Pineridge after taking leave of his job as a U.S agent. The people of Pineridge, however, grow hostile towards him. With the help of Ashley Graham and Alexander Brown, they must put a stop to this menace.
1. Chapter 1

**A. N: This is my first Resident Evil fic, hooray! I've only played a few RE games so please let me know if anything I write is incorrect. Resident Evil and Leon Kennedy belong to CAPCOM. Any cities or OC's belong to me unless stated otherwise. Now, on with the story!**

_Chapter: ONE_

Pineridge had never been the most exciting place to live. It was a medium-sized Oregon town who's population mainly consisted of widows, loners, and retired senior citizens. It didn't hold many parades, festivals, or other events and the work there didn't pay all that well. Basically, if you lived there, it was to get away from big crowds, bright city lights, and thugs. Pineridge didn't have a big crime rate due to the fact that practically everyone who lived there was on a first name basis with everyone else. It was the paradise of the lonely. Little did the peaceful citizens of Pineridge know that their tranquil town was about to be shaken to its very core.

* * *

Leon Scott Kennedy's arrival had been the first time in years that Pineridge had even seen a U-Haul truck move. It had been two years since the incident at Harvardville and Leon had decided that he had seen enough pain and death throughout the years. He was on leave. What better place to get away from that sort of thing than Pineridge? Nothing ever happened there and the people that lived there were too down-to-earth to cause any type of problem. The crimes there were so petty and so few that the police force rarely intervened. This was just what Leon had been looking for.

Leon woke up unusually early the morning after his arrival in Pineridge. _Must be the new time zone,_ Leon thought as he walked drowsily to the bathroom so he could get dressed, brush his teeth, and start off his first day in new town. As Leon was opening the drawer where he put his toothbrush, something in the mirror caught his eye. Leon turned around to look but the shower curtain was in the way. He moved the shower curtain back so that he could see what was on the other side. He stumbled back and fell back into the counter where the sink was. Blood was smeared across the wall and in the middle of it, there was a message:

_Leon Scott Kennedy, the hunt has begun._

Leon immediately tried to find his Comm Screen to contact Hunnigan but then remembered that he had been granted a short leave and was no longer a U.S. government agent. At least not until he could get some downtime in. Leon did the only thing he could think of. He dialed 911.

He explained to the Pineridge police what he saw. Of course, they were very skeptical. This kind of thing only happened in horror movies. Leon finally convinced the police to come investigate, suggesting the blood may be the sign of a murder.

"How could anyone have broken in?" Leon wondered aloud, "There's no sign of a break-in; no broken windows and the door is still locked. There has to be some way."

He wondered what the message meant by, "The hunt has begun." What hunt? Who in Pineridge, or even Oregon, for that matter, would be after him? Leon had never even been to the state before. Umbrella was finished, Osmund Saddler was dead, who would want to hunt him? The word "hunt" made it seem as if whoever did this meant to toy with Leon, drive him insane with fear. _Ha, _Leon thought, _they don't know who they're dealing with._ He still had all of his experience from Raccoon City, the Los Illuminados incident, and the Harvardville incident. He had skills to take on whatever was after him.

The police finally arrived to check out the scene in the bathroom.

"Sir, you realize your doorknob is broken," the officer pointed out. His partner looked like he was fighting back some kind of insane urge.

"No, it's not," said Leon, "It was working just fine yesterday."

"Yeah, but wasn't it last night when this person broke in?"

"Yes," answered Leon,

"Then, that's how they broke in. You said there was no sign of entry when you called. That broken doorknob indicates that someone broke in."

Leon cursed to himself. Why hadn't he figured that out?

The officers walked inside the bathroom to see the message on the wall. The looks on there faces suggested that they were thinking, _Holy crap! He wasn't lying after all._

While they were examining the crime scene, Leon stood back and watched. He noticed the officer with the strange look on his face turn around and face Leon. He took a deep breath and he looked like a heavy weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders. He stared at Leon for several more seconds. His gaze suggested that he was sizing Leon up, scanning him for…weak points?

Suddenly, with no warning, the officer sprung, knocking him to the ground with a force that Leon had only seen in the Novistadors. The policeman shoved Leon against the hard floor. He then grabbed for his gun and jammed the barrel into Leon's head. Leon struggled but could not get free of the officer's insane grip. The officer's grip weakened suddenly and he went limp. Leon threw him off to see his partner standing above him; his taser gripped firmly in hand.

"What…the...hell?!" Leon gasped as he pulled himself up from the ground.

"What was that about?! Your partner just assaulted me!"

"Uh, yeah, he has…issues," the officer stammered quickly as he walked back outside.

"Call again if you have anymore…problems. It was probably just a prank or something. Good day!"

The officer jumped into his squad car and took off at blazing speed. Soon it was out of sight and Leon was left in the dust.

"Didn't even tell me a thing," Leon muttered to himself as he tried to open his door to go back in. He wondered if that kind of mediocre behavior was due to how little experience the police had in this town. Leon realized that he couldn't open the door. The policeman was right. The knob was broken. Leon decided that after all this, he was just going to take himself out to some breakfast. He didn't feel like cooking or fixing his door at the moment.

He got into his car and put the key into the ignition. Once he was out of the driveway, he began to look for a restaurant to eat at. He was just about to pull up to Marco's All You Can Eat when Leon heard a loud thud on the back of his Jeep. He looked out the window and saw a hand crash through the glass and aim right for his throat. Leon threw open the door, sending the insane person flying right toward the ground. Leon jumped out and grabbed his knife from his jacket. He still carried his knife around with him, just in case.

The man started to get up. Leon looked and saw that he wasn't even a man. He was a teenager, probably only sixteen or seventeen. Leon put away his knife, not wanting to attack a kid. The kid got up and aimed a kick right at Leon. It hit and Leon was sent sailing towards his new Jeep.

_Just some no-good punk,_ Leon thought to himself, although the boy's strength unnerved him.

"Now, listen, kid," Leon started to say, "I don't want to—"

"I know. You 'don't want to hurt me.' You'll have to, though. You'll have to kill us all if you want to survive!"

"He's right, son," Leon turned around just to be smacked in the face by an old man's cane. He felt blood seeping from his forehead.

"One way or another, you're gonna die, youngin'. Even if it takes all of Pineridge to do it, you'll _never_ make it out."

A large crowd of people started to gather around Leon, shouting curses, threats, and everything in between. The kid on the ground began to laugh. It was the most sadistic thing Leon had ever heard.

_What's with these people?_ Leon wondered, _I thought this town was supposed to be _peaceful!

"Freeze!" Leon shouted to the mob. The mob itself consisted of all sorts: men, women, and even small children. Small children carrying knives and small clubs who, Leon knew, would attack as soon as they got close enough. Leon's word had no effect on the mob. If anything, they just advanced faster.

Deciding that he wasn't going to go as far as to hurt old men and children, Leon bolted to his dented car, jumped in, and started the ignition. The engine roared to life. Leon pushed the gas and started heading towards Starcrest Forest. Before Leon was able to even get ten feet, a knife flew through the window where the teenager broke in and stuck Leon in his right shoulder.

"Damn it!" Leon uttered under his breath. That was his weapon arm. He could hardly aim at all with his left hand. Leon yanked the bloodied knife out and tossed it through the window. He then shot off into the forest at full speed, leaving the crazed Pineridge citizens far behind.

"Just my luck," he muttered as he drove full speed to Starcrest Forest.

* * *

After Leon had left, the people reverted back to normal, horrified at what they saw. The old man looked at his bloody cane and vaguely recalled using it to smack a fellow across the head. He was the leader type and when he saw nearly the entire city in disorder, he decided to call them to attention. He may have been old but his booming voice was full of authority.

"Enough!" he shouted. Everyone immediately turned to face him. He examined the crowd. Children cried, mothers held them close, and the others just looked shaken.

"Mr. Miller," a lady spoke up, "my son just threw a knife in that poor man's shoulder. With pinpoint accuracy and strength that not even my husband had ever had! And he was a bodybuilder! Please, tell us what is happening."

"I don't know more than anyone else here. We just need to keep calm and relax. I will call the city government immediately. In the mean time, just tend to your children and try to forget what happened. I'm sure this was all just some sort of strange thing. Like I said, I don't know any more than you do."

But that wasn't true. William Miller knew more about the uprising than probably almost anyone else alive.

**A. N: I'm aware that Pineridge is probably a real city name, but the Pineridge in this story is completely fictional. **

**Don't forget to review!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A. N: Warning: This chapter contains weirdness towards the end. Enjoy!**

_Chapter: TWO_

The trail to Fawn Lake was unclear at the best of times. There were many places that looked like turns but were really just small side paths that led to nowhere. You had to have a sharp eye if you were going to make it the whole way without getting lost. If it were cloudy, the best thing to do would be to wait until the sun was shining.

Officer Alexander Brown was too cocky for his own good. He thought he could walk the whole thing without a single problem. Two days ago he walked the Fawn Lake trailhead and got lost going down one of those trick paths. It was pouring down rain and the mud had covered up most of the trailhead. Alexander had gone camping up at Crescent Lake during his downtime. Alexander Brown was a police officer in Starcrest, a city close to Pineridge. He was a tall, brown-haired muscular man around the age of twenty-nine. Most people considered him to be a good fellow, but his cockiness and sarcasm sometimes got him in trouble. This incident is a good example of that fact.

He had been trying to find his way back for two days now but all his efforts just seemed to push him further and further into the forest. It was nearly eight-thirty PM and the light was beginning to fade. Alexander decided that it was a good time to set up camp for the night. Hopefully, he could catch something to eat. It had been two days since his last meal, although, to him, it had seemed like a lifetime.

_I could really go for a nice, juicy burger right about now,_ Alexander thought before mentally slapping himself. Thinking such things would just make him hungrier. If he wanted food, he would have to work for it.

Just before he was about to stop and set up camp, Alexander heard a faint hum in the distance.

_That sounds like machinery! _He thought, hopefully.

He decided to walk toward towards the sound, hoping it might be someone that could direct him to town. He was a long way from Starcrest so the closest town would have to be Pineridge.

Although it had only been five minutes, Alexander felt like his legs would collapse if he had to walk any longer. Finally, as if an unknown force had answered his pleas, Alexander finally arrived at the source of the hum. It was a man in a logging outfit. The hum Alexander heard was the chainsaw the man was using on a big log.

A sudden jolt of fear coursed through Alexander. He had just watched "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" the night before going camping at Crescent Lake. He mentally slapped himself one again. It was just a movie. Things like that just didn't happen in real life.

"Excuse me, sir. Sir!" he tried to get the logger's attention over the roar of the chainsaw. The logger stopped the saw before turning around to look at Alexander.

"Yeah? What do you need?"

"I was just wondering if you could help me get to town from here. I got lost up on the trail to Fawn Lake."

The logger laughed a hoarse laugh, "Yeah, that one's a killer! Sure, kid. I can help you find your way," he revved up the chainsaw and heaved it out from the log, "to the afterlife!"

Rnn! Rnnn! Rnnnnnnnnnn!

"Shit!" Alexander exclaimed as the psychotic logger advanced forward. Alexander fumbled around in his jacket for his handgun. He got it out and triggered the laser sight.

"Stop, or I'll shoot!" The logger just laughed and came faster.

Alexander was faced with no other option than to fire the weapon. He squeezed the trigger.

BAM!

He fired but the bullet had bounced of the spinning blade of the chainsaw.

"Damn!"

He fired again and this time it hit the weapon dead on. The logger was now just mere feet away from leaving Alexander as a bloodied, decapitated corpse lying motionless against the muddy forest floor.

The logger laughed some more as he raised the saw up to Alexander's neck. Alexander tried to back up but tripped on a branch and fell on his back. Suddenly, the chainsaw gave one final chug and then:

Ka-BOOM!!

It exploded, showering the night sky with bright sparks! The logger immediately went up in flames and hopelessly ran around, the flames burning him up until he finally fell, charred and blackened, against the muddy ground. He was dead.

Alexander was left on the ground, horrified and relieved at the same time. On one hand, he was, against all odds, alive. On the other hand, he had just killed another human being. Sure, he would be long gone before any police officers discovered the burnt, blackened body of the logger, but he had taken another life. As a police officer, he was supposed to help preserve life and arrest those who killed others. Although, Alexander was just protecting himself from being murdered by the deranged man. After all, _he_ had assaulted _Alexander_, not the other way around.

_Quit beating yourself up! _He thought to himself, _That psycho would have sliced your head off!_ It helped a little.

That was when Alexander saw the thing that gave him some real hope: a truck. It looked like a beat up old clunker to Alexander but if he wanted to get out of the forest, it was as good as anything. He suddenly realized that it was probably the logger's truck that he was seeing. He hesitated for a bit. Was it really right to steal the man's truck right after Alexander had just burnt him to death with his own chainsaw? Hunger and fatigue overtook Alexander and he decided to take the truck, despite his own moral views. His life came first.

The door was locked so Alexander just shattered the window with his combat knife. Sure enough, the key to the ignition was sitting right there on the seat. He fastened his seat belt, put the key into the ignition, and drove off.

After ten minutes had passed, Alexander could finally begin to see city lights up ahead. He was approaching Pineridge.

_I can finally get something to eat,_ Alexander thought happily, _I'm starving!_

Alexander drove a little further until he finally reached a small restaurant on the outskirts of the town. It looked like an old red and white shack but the Starcrest Officer was too hungry to care. The sign read "Pappy's House of Flapjacks."

Alexander sighed, _Only because I haven't eaten in two days._

Alexander got out of the logger's truck and entered the building. It reeked of coal and didn't have many lights.

An old man walked up to Alexander and clapped him on the back happily,

"Hello, sonnyboy, and welcome to Pappy's House of Flapjacks! I'll be your pappy for today."

"My 'pappy' died two years ago from a cocaine overdose," replied Alexander, "I just want some food."

"Don't be silly, sonnyboy! We're all your pappy here at Pappy's House of Flapjacks! Now, what would you like?"

"I'd like a large double cheeseburger with all the fixings," he said. Finally, he was going to get some real food!

The old man looked puzzled.

"Sorry, sonnyboy, all we have here are flapjacks." Alexander sighed again. Was it too much to ask to get some meat?

"Okay, what kinds of 'flapjacks' do you have here? I'm starving."

"Well, sonnyboy, we have the Pappy Stack, the Old Coal Mine, and the Beefly Special. What would you like?"

"What's the 'Pappy Stack'?" Alexander asked, his voice dripping with fake curiosity.

"The Pappy Stack is three flapjacks stacked with syrup. We have three kinds of syrup: maple, boysenberry, and the Coal Miner Special."

"Okay then, what's the Coal Miner Special?"

"Well, sonnyboy, I'll tell you. It's maple and boysenberry with a hint of apple."

"Oh, gee," Alexander said sarcastically, "so I can have maple, boysenberry or maple _and_ boysenberry! Ah, the decisions."

"I'll have the Old Coal Mine, I guess." he decided.

"Well, the Old Coal Mine is two big flapjacks with sprinkles of Emergency Waffles."

"Why are they 'Emergency', exactly?"

"Sonnyboy, if we run out of flapjacks, us retired coal miners have got to eat something!"

"Sure. That makes lots of sense." Alexander replied sarcastically.

"What's the Beefly Special?"

"Two flapjacks and two Emergency Waffles in the shape of a beefly."

"I'm gonna stick with the Old Coal Mine."

"Okay, sonnyboy, that'll be seven bucks."

Luckily, Alexander had his wallet with him in his coat. He pulled out the money and handed it to the strange old man.

Finding a table wasn't hard. Aside from tired looking old man with a cane, Alexander was literally the only one inside. He found the cleanest table there was and sat down, waiting for his food.

"Huh, flapjacks," he said to himself, "why can't I just get a nice, juicy cheeseburger?"

After a few minutes wait, Alexander's 'pappy' came back with an empty plate. For seemingly no reason, he swung the plate to the ground and shattered it in to pieces, leaving a large shard of ceramic in his hand.

"Any final one-liners, sonnyboy, before I drive this into your throat?" Without warning, the man aimed the shard right for Alexander's throat. He dodged, but the shard still grazed his left arm, leaving spurts of blood all over the table.

"What the hell?!" Alexander shouted before taking out his badge.

"Starcrest Police Department! Don't move!" Alexander took out his gun and pointed it at his 'pappy.' The old man just laughed and came forward.

"Sorry, sonnyboy, but gold miners like you just can't be allowed to live!"

Alexander dodged again as the waiter aimed another blow to his throat.

"Gold miner my ass! I am a certified Starcrest police officer. Now, I order you to freeze!"

He shot the waiter's arm, forcing him to drop the shattered plate.

_I can't believe I just shot that old man!_ He thought, horrified at what he had just done. Now, the other employees were advancing upon him as well. They held shards of glass, forks, knives, anything that could be used as a weapon. Alexander bolted out from the table as the old waiter lunged at him again.

"Ahhhh!" Alexander felt the prongs of a fork dig deep into the back of his neck. He turned around and fired his gun. The bullet hit the man right in the face and he dropped like a rock. Alexander saw that it was the waiter whom he had shot in the arm. Now, he was asleep. Forever.

Two kills in one day. Two lives taken. The logger and an old man that probably had a wife and grandchildren, grandchildren who would never see him again. Okay, granted, he had tried to kill Alexander, but Alexander could have run out without firing the gun. How many more lives would be wasted?

Alexander ran outside, hopped in the stolen pickup, and headed towards the nearest motel. Fortunately, he had enough money to check out a room, stay overnight, and head back to Starcrest the following morning. If he could help it, he was never going back to Crescent Lake again.

_What is with these people, though?_ Alexander wondered, _First that logger and then those 'pappy coal miners' or whatever they were called. This whole place has gone to hell._

He wondered what he would look like to the motel employees, all covered in mud and blood. At this point, though, he didn't really care.

Alexander checked in, ignoring any questions about why he was covered in blood. He got a room and drifted off to sleep.

Images of old men and chainsaws haunted his dreams.

**A. N: Wow that was long. No offence to coal miners. The employees there were never coal miners anyway. Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A. N: It's been awhile, I know, so I won't bother you with a big, long Author's Note.**

_Chapter: THREE_

"Is it true that you were infested with a Las Plagas parasite?"

"What became of Leon after the incident?"

"How is life, now? Are you experiencing any stress?"

Ashley Graham walked quickly, trying to escape from the swarm of reporters that had been hounding her for the past two weeks. They had been asking question after question about what had been commonly referred to as 'The Los Illuminados Incident.' The only good thing she could recall about that experience was the handsome United States agent, Leon Kennedy. If it weren't for Leon, Ashley would have either been dead, or a Ganado. Neither were very favorable options.

Ashley finally decided that the best way to escape the media was to move away from her home in Massachusetts. She needed a change of scenery, anyway. She was going to move to a small town in Oregon named Pineridge. Pineridge was an uninteresting place. Ashley hoped there would be no reporters there. It was for this reason that she was walking to the airport with a horde of newscasters and reporters chasing her as usual.

Her plane to Oregon had finally arrived and she was off to Pineridge.

During the long flight, she thought about her time in Spain, the Los Illuminados Incident. Thanks to the endless sea of reporters, it was the only thing she could think about. There had been too many near-death experiences to count, and Ashley wouldn't have made it through a single one of them if it hadn't been for Leon. Unfortunately, Ashley would probably never see her savior again. Leon had saved her skin more times than she could hope to count. Whether it was being snatched away by a lone Ganado or being crushed by Salazar's spike trap; he had always been there for her.

_Enough!_ Ashley thought to herself, _thinking about Leon won't make him just appear out of nowhere._

After several lonely hours, she had finally arrived at the Starcrest airport. Pineridge didn't have an airport and the nearest town was Starcrest, so she landed there.

Her personal things were being sent to Pineridge via U-Haul. It was a long and expensive trip but being the President's daughter had its advantages.

After arriving at the airport, Ashley called a taxi to take her to the nearest hotel in Pineridge. It would be expensive since they would have to drive through the forest, but Ashley had more than enough cash.

The drive through Starcrest Forest wasn't as long as Ashley had thought it would be. In fact, it was only about twenty minutes until the taxi driver pulled up to the Pineridge Hotel. She paid for the ride and stepped out into the lonely town of Pineridge for the first time.

She didn't have any bags. They were expected to arrive at her new house in two to three days. Until then, she would stay in the hotel. She walked up to the front desk, checked out a room, and left. She was going to the store. The latest issue of The Fashion Digest came out that day and she was going to get it. She was also going to buy some snacks. Maybe eating and reading could help keep her mind off Leon.

The store was within walking distance so she didn't have far to go. It was the tiniest little store Ashley had ever seen. Ashley decided to get the snacks first, then buy the magazine as she was buying her things. The store was unfamiliar, but, small as it was, she didn't have much trouble finding the right aisle. She grabbed a box of Chips Ahoy!™ and Oreos™, then went to the desk to buy her things.

The magazine rack was full of things like Sports Illustrated, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and Boy's Life. Just when she thought she was out of luck, there it was: The Fashion Digest's 200­­­th issue. Ashley bought her items and left the store, unaware of the fact that it was already 10:30PM.

Ashley was surprised at the sudden darkness that had suddenly engulfed her.

Now, there was enough sense in Ashley to tell her that walking alone, during the middle of the night, in a strange town was a bad idea, but what could she do? The store had just closed so she couldn't call another taxi, and she didn't have her cell phone on her. It looked like her only option was to walk back to the hotel and hope for the best.

For about fifteen minutes, everything was fine, no strange noises or shadowy figures in the dark. Suddenly, Ashley started to hear footsteps behind her. She knew better than to look over her shoulder so she just kept on walking, hoping for the best.

"Hey, babe! You lost?"

Ashley started to walk faster, trying to ignore the calls of the punks behind her.

"Oh, come on, baby, don't be like that. Come here!"

Before she knew it, the two hoodlums were right beside her. One of them grabbed her arm, turning her around so that she was facing him.

"You look lost, girl. How 'bout I take you over to my place so we can have some fun."

The man grabbed her rear while the other one pulled out a switchblade. Ashley just stood still, too terrified to move.

"Come on, honey. I don't want to use this," the other man said, twirling the knife in his hand, "but I will if you start to be a hassle."

As the two men started to grab her again, Ashley did the only thing she knew how to. She crouched down on the pavement and put her arms over her head, preparing for the worst.

She could have crawled away right then and made a break for it, but her conscious had become overpowered with fear.

"Hey, girl, get up!" the switchblade man said before stabbing Ashley in the arm.

"Stand up and look at me, bitch!"

Ashley screamed as the first guy punched her square in the face. A faint glitter in the darkness revealed that the man was wearing brass knuckles. She let out another scream as the metal connected with her skull once more. The trickle of warm liquid down Ashley's face showed that she was bleeding.

"Get up, you little slut, or me and my friend here are gonna beat the fuck out of you!"

Just as the switchblade man was about to stab her again, the bright light of someone's headlights and the roar of an engine interrupted him. Ashley saw an old, beat up pickup truck pull up beside them.

_Oh, god,_ Ashley thought, _please don't let there be more of them._

Switchblade man stepped back, blade held out, as a man emerged from the driver's side of the truck. He didn't _look_ like a thug, but that didn't mean anything.

The man pulled out something from the chest pocket of his jacket, but it was too dark for Ashley to see what it was.

"Starcrest Police Department! Drop your weapon and step away from the girl!"

Ashley nearly collapsed with relief. A police officer! She realized that the thing he pulled out must have been his badge.

"How do we know that badge ain't fake? I don't see no uniform. If you're such a cop, why don't you prove it, huh?"

The officer sighed and pulled a handgun out from its holster.

"The way I see it, I'm the one with the gun, so I suggest you back away. Now." The policeman pointed his gun at switchblade man. Brass knuckles man was backed against the side of a building.

Without warning, switchblade lunged at the man's throat with seemingly superhuman speed.

Before he could react, the officer was being slammed against the side of his truck with one of the punk's hands, and being viciously stabbed in the side with the switchblade hand.

"Argh!" the police officer let out a scream of agony and shot the thug in the head.

BLAM!

He shot the thug again in the chest. He gave one last desperate gasp for breath, then fell to the ground, a pool of crimson blood gushing out from his wounds. The officer was about to help Ashley up, but was brutally thrown to the ground by the brass knuckles man. Ashley noticed the same superhuman speed as before. She screamed in horror as brass knuckles man was mercilessly pounding away at the downed policeman. The officer struggled for his weapon. Once he had a hold on it, he started blasting at the man.

BLAM!

BLAM!

BLAM!

The thug took three shots to the head before falling to the ground, dead like his friend.

The police officer started to crawl back up onto his feet, panting and gasping for breath. He looked at Ashley's terrified figure, just a dim silhouette in the darkness.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get up and get in!"

Ashley struggled to her feet and began to tentatively approach the officer's, now horribly dented, truck.

"Don't forget your groceries."

During the assault, Ashley had nearly forgotten about her cookies and magazine that she had bought at the store. Then she remembered that it was her stupidity of going to the store in an unfamiliar town that had gotten her into this mess in the first place. She mentally slapped herself for the third time that day.

Ashley grabbed her bag, which was right in front of switchblade man. She thought about taking the weapon but decided that she'd rather not.

She took her things and got into the passenger's seat of the pickup truck. It was a bit high up and Ashley had to sort of climb to get up.

"Um, thanks for saving me back there. I would have been a goner if you hadn't shown up."

The moon started to come out from the parting clouds and Ashley saw, with a shock, that he was covered in blood and mud.

"I'm not surprised you were attacked. This town's a huge hellhole. I was nearly murdered twice today. The people here, they're just not right. Their speed and strength is incredible. If that creep with the brass knuckles had punched one more time, I probably would have been out of commission. Oh, by the way, I'm Alexander Brown. I already know who _you_ are."

"Yeah, uh, I guess a lot of people do, now." Ashley didn't like the idea of everyone knowing who she was. It was why she had moved to Pineridge in the first place. It was such a miniscule place, she thought the media may not have reached the place. Turns out she was wrong.

"Don't worry," Alexander began, "I'm not going to badger you with questions. Must have been one hell of a trip, though. Seems like an interesting character, that Leon."

Ashley swallowed the lump in her throat, "I don't really like to talk about Leon."

"Why? Did he…you know?"

"What? No! Nothing like that. It's just, he was the kindest person I'd ever met before. I probably won't ever get to see him again, though."

Alexander was silent for a moment, before saying, "Well, we can take down these freaks together. I'm telling you, this is not normal, especially for a place like Pineridge. It seems like anyone that comes here is attacked on the spot.

"Anyway, I'm heading for Starcrest Forest. I had minimal problems there and we should be able to camp out. There are camping materials in the bed of the truck. Fortunately, I was a Boy Scout so we should have a good chance of surviving. Well, surviving nature, anyway. I don't know about what else might be out there."

* * *

It was a short but silent drive to the forest. Nothing to listen to but the hum of the truck's engine. Ashley had nearly fallen asleep when the policeman named Alexander hit the breaks.

"Wait a minute, what's that?" Alexander asked.

Ashley was about to ask "What's what?" but then saw what looked like headlights coming up in front of them.

"Oh, crap," Alexander muttered, "not more of them!"

Surprisingly, the vehicle slowed down and pulled over right beside Alexander and Ashley. Alexander pulled out his gun and inserted a new clip of ammunition.

"Wait here," Alexander instructed Ashley as he slowly exited the truck. He cautiously walked up to the window of the vehicle. He could see that it was a jeep.

Immediately, Alexander had a gun to his head.

"Hey, whoa! I'm a human! Lower your weapon."

"Oh," the new man said, "I guess you're not one of them, after all."

"Damn right, I'm not. Who the hell are you, anyway?"

From back in the truck, Ashley could already see who the strange man was. She gasped and fell back in shock.

"Leon S. Kennedy."

**A. N: Please leave a review. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. By the way, when I was at BSA summer camp at Camp Pioneer, there was a campsite named Pine Ridge. It was cool!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A. N: The next chapter of ultimate doom! Mwahaha!**

_Chapter: FOUR  
__Eight hours earlier…_

The chaos was getting worse. The Pineridge police were being called in nearly everyday on reports of assault, battery, and murder. It would appear that the whole of Pineridge had gone insane. There had even been one gruesome report of when the police arrested a man for murdering his two four-year olds, the man broke right out of the handcuffs, and tore the officer's throat out with his bare hands.

William Miller sat down in his easy chair, pondering the epidemic of chaos that had engulfed the once-tranquil little town. To him, this seemed like a cross between the outbreak at Raccoon City, and the much more recent Los Illuminados Incident in Spain, but intensified. There were some parts of town where you could see the bodies piled up on the streets, being devoured by insects and scavengers. This occurred only in the interior of Pineridge, where there are the most people. The less populated part of town, the area that bordered Starcrest Forest, had only just begun to experience the horror. The people there could, more or less, lead normal lives. The strange thing, though, was that according to the news, the exterior of the town didn't even know anything was wrong towards the center. It was all over the news in Starcest, but Pineridge's exterior knew nothing.

Miller lived in the center of town, where, at this point, the only way to stay safe was to stay indoors. Locking doors, windows, and basically anything and everything that a person could possibly use to get through.

The greatest danger was that you couldn't tell who was affected and who wasn't. One minute, you could be talking to your friend. The next minute, they would be strangling the life out of you. Miller remembered only a couple hours ago when he, along with dozens of other people had first fallen victim to this 'virus.' He remembered smacking a young man across the head with his cane and knocking him into the ground. Something was familiar about the man, but Miller couldn't remember what. From the way he reacted to the attack, Miller figured he was a police officer and had gone through heavy training.

It wasn't anyone that he knew, but Miller had the strange feeling that he had seen him before. Perhaps it was in passing, or maybe Miller had seen him on the news.

_Hold on, _Miller thought, _I know where I've seen him before. It _was_ from the news. That's Leon, Leon Kennedy!_

That presented a possibility of why these uprising were occurring. Perhaps Leon was real target all along. The reason for all the deaths may have been that the people were getting in between the Victims—that's what Miller called them—and Leon. Now the question for Miller was why were they after Leon? Miller thought of an explanation; what if they were infected with Las Plagas? What if they're Ganados? Miller shoved that thought aside. The Las Plagas parasite couldn't have come so far. Also, the man behind the Los Illuminados incident was dead, so there would no one to control the Plagas.

What was a man like Leon Kennedy doing in a place like Pineridge, anyway? That incident happened right as Miller had been on his way to Pappy's House of Flapjacks. He didn't care for the food there but it was a quiet place for him to just relax and think. For some reason the employees never seemed to mind that he never bought any food.

Miller's biggest concern now, was that Leon wasn't in town. He had fled to Starcrest Forest, trying to escape from the mob of Victims chasing after him. Why the, were the attacks only occurring on the _interior_ of the town, even further away from the forest? It just didn't make sense. Instead of this horrific nightmare, why wasn't the population suddenly disappearing into the forest? The only explanation that Miller could think of was that there were Victims in the forest as well. The Victims in town didn't know what to do since Leon was gone, so they just went wild.

From the hell that had broken loose in Pineridge, Miller reckoned that Leon should watch his step if he hoped to get out alive.

* * *

_Present time…_

Alexander stared questioningly at the man who claimed to be Leon Kennedy, the man who had rescued Ashley in the first place. From what had been happening, he didn't know who to trust. This guy could be a fake or worse, one of the demented people who had tried to kill him and Ashley before. Before anyone could speak, Ashley ran out from the truck, towards the man.

"What are you doing!?" Alexander shouted, "I told you to stay in the—"

"Leon!"

Ashley ran up to the Jeep and held Leon in an embrace through the open window.

"Ashley! Is that really you?" He turned to look at Alexander, "I swear, if you even laid a finger on her, I'll break your bones!"

"Jeez, calm down! I never even touched her. Ashley, is this really Leon Kennedy? For all I know, this is some clever trap set up for us by those freaks."

"No, Alexander, it's really Leon," Ashley said, "I'd never forget that face."

Alexander still wasn't so sure. His days in the force told him that it wasn't hard to change your appearance. This guy could just be a very good actor. He could be real, but Alexander wanted some proof before he was ready to believe anything. For now, though, he just decided to go along with it. Hopefully, he would be proven wrong.

"Assuming she's right and you really are who you say you are, what are you doing here? You seem to be a bit of a celebrity right now so why are you in a boring place like this?"

"You're a police officer," Leon observed, "I can see your badge. You can't tell me you've never wanted a break. You can only take so much before you snap. I came here to get away for a while, all though; it seems like I may have chosen the wrong place. On my first day here, a mob of deranged citizens assaults me. I high-tailed it to the forest, but things haven't really been too much easier from there. Maybe we can get out of this together."

"Yeah, maybe," Alexander said after a brief silence, "If we do that, then we'll need a place to set up camp. It's nearly midnight and we'll all need rest if we're going to be fighting. Of course, someone will have to be keeping watch at all times. And you're right; I'm a police officer. My name is Alexander Brown"

"Okay, agreed," Leon responded, "we need to find someplace to spend the night. I know there's a river nearby. I passed it a while back and should be able to find it again. It will supply us with food. We should get moving now, before we're all too tired to move."

Alexander didn't like being told what to do. He was generally his own man, doing what he thought was the right thing. He tried to push the annoyance out of his mind, thinking it was just because he was tired and irritable.

"Okay. You lead the way then."

They got into their respective vehicles and left to find the river and camp out.

Only five minutes had passed before Leon stopped and announced that they had reached the river. It was very dark and Alexander could barely even see. He fumbled around in his jacket for a flashlight. Fortunately, he had not dropped it since his run-in with that logger and the two punks that had been attacking Ashley. Hoping that it still had battery power in it, Alexander pressed the button to turn the light on. It was still bright as ever and Alexander began to search for a place to set up tents. That old truck may have been a clunker, but it had all the supplies they needed. Alexander had never been very religious but the supplies in that truck felt like a gift from the Lord.

"Hey! Somebody help me put up this tent."

Leon came over to help Alexander put up the tent. Before long, they were finished and ready to rest for the night. Ashley was over by Alexander's truck, looking at the supplies they had.

"Hey, Ashley, Leon called, "the tent is set up now. We can sleep."

"Unfortunately," Alexander began, "it's the only one so we'll all be cramped in like one big happy family!"

Alexander's sarcasm was almost visible. He didn't much like having to share the small tent with two other people. Then he remembered that they were going to take watch in shifts, in case they were attacked during the night.

"I'll take the first shift," Leon offered, "You two, get some sleep."

_What a goody two shoes,_ Alexander thought as he crawled into the tent. The supply boxes in the truck included sleeping bags, and Alexander had already laid them out on the floor of the tent.

"In two hours, wake me up for my shift," Alexander told Leon as he crawled inside his sleeping bag.

Aside from the sounds of birds in the trees and the occasional rustle in the grass, all was silent. This was a bad thing for Alexander as it led him to dwell on unpleasant thoughts. Why did Alexander have to kill those two people? He had definitely learned enough moves in training to dodge and evade his way out of trouble. Instead, he had shot two people and ended their lives. Sure, they may have been victims of whatever had been going through the town, but they were also real people.

_That's what I can call them: Victims._

It wasn't long after that Ashley had entered the tent and began to crawl into her own sleeping bag.

"Well, Ashley, here we are: the scummy outdoors. Nah, I'm just kidding you. I love camping. Although it was camping that got me into this mess in first place. I got lost on a trailhead and ended getting lost in this forest. That's when this hell began for me."

From outside the tent, Alexander heard Leon shouting, "Alexander, Ashley, wake up! We have company! The bad kind."

**A. N: Sorry about the length. The next ones will be longer as usual. Also, I'll try to update much faster. Don't forget to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A. N: The fifth chapter. Enjoy, strangahs.**

_Chapter: FIVE_

Leon loaded a new clip into his handgun, waiting, as the mob converged on the camp. _What's up with these people?_ Leon thought, _Seems like everyone I meet nowadays wants to murder me._ Alexander was by the tent, preparing his own supplies while Ashley stayed inside. Leon knew she wouldn't take part in the fighting. Leon could guess from her time in Spain that she was a pacifist, although sometimes her helplessness annoyed him. He never told her that, of course.

"Jeez, can they go any slower?" complained Alexander as he was loading his gun, "I could probably go take a dump and they wouldn't be here yet."

"That's gross," commented Ashley from inside the tent.

Leon looked at Alexander's gun and recognized the interesting shape of the Red9. With a pang of sadness, Leon remembered Luis Sera, his short-lived friend from what seemed like a lifetime ago. Osmund Saddler, the leader of the Los Illuminados, had killed him. When he was just barely clinging to life, he had given Leon a pill to suppress growth of the Las Plagas. If not for Luis, he and Ashley would be slaves inside their own minds.

Leon was shaken from his thoughts as a Swiss-army knife connected with the tree beside him. The knife was about two inches away from slicing out Leon's temple.

"Dammit!" Leon cursed, "They're attacking!"

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's kick their asses!"

Leon took am at the nearest Victim, a bald muscular man who was wielding a large sheath knife.

BAM!

Leon fired and the Victim dropped the knife, clutching his injured arm. Alexander ran up and landed a hard punch right to the Victim's face. The Victim fell to the ground, it's face completely caved in. Blood poured out from its disfigured head.

Alexander held up his fist, "I snatched the brass knuckles from one of those pervert-Victims who were attacking Ashley. Turns out they came in handy."

Leon nodded in acknowledgement and directed his focus back on the rest of the mob. They were all attacking at once now. The odds were about forty-seven to two but Leon had dealt with worse. Besides, this time he had a partner at his side.

"Die, home-dawg!"

Leon ducked as a baseball bat swung, whooshing over his head. He turned around as the Victim was recovering from his swing and kicked him to the ground. Leon quickly pulled out his combat knife and finished off the Victim with a slice to the neck.

A Victim was grappling Alexander a few feet away. Leon took aim and shot the Victim, spurts of crimson blood shooting from its headless body.

"Thanks!"

Click.

Leon thought he heard the sound of a gun being reloaded from within the horde.

Bam! Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!

"Oww, shit!" Leon saw Alexander fall to his knees, blood seeping from his bullet wounds. Leon located the gun-wielding Victim and saw that it had the TMP. The same TMP, Leon noticed, that he had once purchased from the strange, cloaked Merchant during the Los Illuminados incident.

_It can't be…_

Leon pushed his thoughts aside and took aim at the Victim's leg. Leon ran up and snatched the gun from its hands and pulled out his knife, preparing to finish the Victim off.

The Victim's eyes were pleading,

"No! No, please! You don't understand! It's not me, it's the vi—" But Leon had to put his and Alexander's lives first. He slashed the Victim's throat, adding it to the rapidly growing mound of bodies. But wait. Was the dying Victim about to say 'virus?'

Leon ran over to Alexander's side and helped him to his feet.

"You okay?" Leon asked,

"Yeah I'm fine. Although now I'm out of ammo."

Leon held out the TMP and a fresh clip, "Here, take it."

Alexander took the weapon and loaded the clip into it.

"Thanks, again."

"No problem."

Immediately, Alexander got up and started to mow down the five remaining enemies in front of him. Leon thought he was getting a little too trigger-happy for his own good.

"Oh, yeah! Freaks!" He turned to face Leon, "What now?!"

Leon and Alexander holstered their guns, looking at the pile of bodies, stacked above a lake of blood.

"Jeez, what do they want with us?" Alexander asked, breaking the silence, "Was I a Nazi in my past life or something? Well, screw you, karma!"

"Having the feeling that someone's out to get you is one thing," Leon started, "but it's another thing entirely when everyone actually is."

"Too true."

The two headed back to camp in silence, not looking back at the scene of carnage they had left behind.

* * *

The battle had taken them quite a ways away from the camp and Leon was relieved to see that Ashley was safe inside the tent. Alexander went over to talk with Ashley.

"What the hell were you doing?" Alexander's voice had an irritated edge to it, "We were out there fighting for our lives and you just sat here in this tent! Tell me you know how to use a gun."

"Well, I never really—"

"Wait, you mean you have no idea how to use a weapon? What did you _do_ while you were with Leon? What was your role?"

Leon had a flashback to the Los Illuminados incident, where a lone Ganado was carrying Ashley away.

"Leon, heeelp!" she screamed, pounding on its back.

Leon came back to reality and turned to Alexander,

"Come on, give her a break. We beat them, didn't we?"

"I guess so," was Alexander's only reaction.

"Thanks," Ashley whispered to Leon,

"No problem," replied Leon.

Something in the distance caught Leon's eye. It looked as if there was a bluish light coming from somewhere not too far off. Leon grabbed a pair of binoculars from the old truck and zoomed in on the light. Leon stepped back in alarm. The light appeared to be coming from a torch, the flames burning an eerie, bright blue. Leon had seen those torches before. They belonged to the Merchant. The Merchant had been one of the main reasons that Leon and Ashley had gotten out with their lives in Spain. He had sold Leon nearly all of his guns, which, unfortunately, had been confiscated by the Spanish police at the airport. It was a shame. Some of them had been very nice weapons.

Was the Merchant here, in Starcrest forest? There was only one way to find out.

Leon called Ashley and Alexander over to him and showed them the light.

"I think we should head over there," Leon suggested, "It might lead to civilization."

"It is in the direction of Starcrest," Alexander pointed out.

"It might be our only hope. Let's go, and hope that we aren't dealing with more Victims."

It wasn't a very long walk to the light, only about a five or ten minute walk. The blue flame began to illuminate the forest around them and Leon felt a creeping sensation in his spine.

_It's just the Merchant,_ he told himself, although he wasn't sure whether it really was, _He's not a Victim._

As the three went onward, Leon could make out the shape of a cloaked figure. A hood covered his face and his cloak was purple. It had to be the Merchant.

After a couple seconds, they were finally face to face with the Merchant.

"I don't know about this guy," warned Alexander, "He seems sort of strange."

"He's fine," said Leon, "I'll explain back at camp.'

"Welcome!" boomed the Merchant. His eyes darted from Leon to Ashley, and then back to Leon, skipping Alexander.

"You look familiar. Have I seen you strangahs before?

"Ah, yes, I remember. You were my best customer back in Spain, hehe. Made myself a new belt from all of them Spinels, I did. You'll be happy to know that I now accept U. S. dollars, hehe. Now, then, what're ya buyin'?"

The Merchant lifted his cloak to reveal the small arsenal underneath. He had a different variety of weapons since Leon had last seen him. Hopefully, he would have something of use. Leon looked down and saw that the Merchant's belt was studded with hundreds of Spinels, all glittering beautifully in the torchlight.

Leon saw something of interest among the Merchant's supply: a C4 explosive. It would be perfect for setting traps. Hopefully, he had enough money in his wallet to afford it.

"How much for the C4's?" Leon asked.

"Ahh, my newest addition," the Merchant replied, "I'm afraid they don't come cheap, strangah. They're ten bucks each, but if ya buy five, I'll give ya two extra for free, since you're my best customer."

Ouch. That was fifty dollars. Leon had only sixty-one in his wallet but those explosives could really come in handy. Besides, the Merchant wasn't known for his cheap prices. Leon handed the money to the Merchant.

"Hehehe. Thank you."

"Anything for the lady?" the Merchant turned to Ashley.

"Umm, do you have a First-Aid Spray?"

"Five bucks, strangah."

Ashley handed the Merchant her own money. Leon saw the words "Umbrella Chemical, Inc" printed at the bottom of the can. As many times as he had used these, he never really noticed that label. Ironic, that Umbrella, whose experiments had nearly killed him many times over, would create a product so essential for Leon's survival.

The Merchant turned to face Alexander, "What about the new strangah?"

"You got any food? I'm starving!"

"How much ya got?" Alexander handed the Merchant his wallet.

"Sorry mate, that just won't cut it."

"Could you put in on my tab?"

"Not enough cash, strangah."

Alexander gave the Merchant an irritated look and turned away, snatching his wallet from the man's hands.

"Thanks," said Leon to the Merchant.

"Come back anytime."

* * *

The three headed away from the Merchant, towards what they hoped was some sort of civilization. They had gone back to camp, packed up, and filed into the old pickup. It was only two seats and was very cramped. Alexander was in the middle and was looking very cross.

"Urgh, stupid geezer," he complained, "we just got back from a battle with about four-billion Victims and all I wanted was some frickin' food!"

"I'm sure we'll get somewhere eventually," Ashley said, encouragingly.

"So says the weakling who can't even hold a gun."

"Aww," Ashley said, teasingly, "Little Alex is just cranky because his tummy's empty."

Alexander shot the President's daughter a look of venom, "Call me 'Little Alex' one more time," he threatened.

"Guys, shut up," Leon began, "You're like a bunch of three year-olds. I'm sure we'll get somewhere eventually. You're not the only one who's hungry."

"Look!" Ashley pointed out, "I see lights!"

Leon looked off into the distance, "Yeah, I see them too. Maybe it'll be a restaurant."

Leon drove faster until the building was in view. It wasn't much more than an old shack painted red and white, but it was a restaurant. The sign read 'Pappy's House of Flapjacks' with about five burned out lights in the sign.

"Hell. No." Alexander looked at Leon, "Leon, we are _not_ stopping here. There is no way in the fiery pit of Hades that I am _ever_ stepping inside that place again."

"I thought you were hungry," replied Leon.

"I'm not that hungry,"

"Well, you're welcome to stay in the truck while we eat, then. Come on, Ashley."

Alexander sighed, "Fine, but you'll see what I mean."

The three walked into the restaurant and were immediately greeted by a horde of old men.

"Well, hello, sonnyboys and missy ma'ams! Welcome to Pappy's House of Flapjacks, where everyone's your pappy! My name is Herald and I'll be your pappy for tonight."

Leon saw Alexander's face start turning red.

"Sit down, pappyflaps, and I'll get your menus."

Leon, Ashley, and Alexander went to find a table to sit at, while they waited for Herald, their 'pappy,' to come with their menus.

"Do you see what I mean now?" Alexander asked, "These guys are total psychos!"

"Yeah, they are sort of weird," Leon agreed, "but what choice do we have? The pickup's almost out of gas."

Alexander was about to reply but then Herald came back with their menus.

"Geeee!" he explained, "Sorry, pappyflaps, but we're all out of the Old Coal Mine. You get your choice of the Pappystack or the Beefly Special."

Alexander ordered first, "Fine, I'll have the damn Pappystack."

Leon ordered the Beefly Special and Ashley did the same. Meanwhile, Alexander explained his previous experience at Pappy's House of Flapjacks.

"That's one of the reasons I hate this place so much," he explained, "I can't believe I killed that guy, even though he was a freak."

"We all have things that we're ashamed of," Leon said, "Just that not many people choose to talk about it. It takes courage.'

"Okay, okay," Alexander replied, looking a bit embarrassed, "can we cut the sappy crap now?"

Leon was about to reply but was stopped by a tired-looking old man, carrying a cane that looked like it had been through a lot. There were scratches and chips everywhere. Leon thought he had seen the man before but couldn't recall where.

"Well," the aged man began, "it looks like we have some talking to do."

The man sat down at the table and looked at the three of them, his gaze switching between them.

"Well?" he asked, "who shall begin? We all have much to speak of."

**A. N: The whole Pappy's House of Flapjacks deal is a long story that I won't waste your time explaining. Come back anytime. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ermm… Uuuuuh… Well, I actually started writing this chapter awhile ago (like soon after chapter 5 was done) but my written draft got trashed somehow and the typed portion was on my old computer which has been reformatted and sold to one of our neighbors. I finally got to writing again after my frustration wore off so here it is: Mind Games, chapter 6.**

_Chapter: SIX_

"And who the hell are you?" asked Alexander, irritably.

The man ignored Alexander and continued speaking,

"My name is William Miller," he began, then looked at Leon, "I believe we have met before,"

"The old man that smacked me this morning…"

"Yes," replied the old man named William Miller, "As you are certainly aware, there is a…disturbance…here, in this town and surrounding areas. I, and several others, had been affected by the virus or parasite that's causing this."

Alexander clapped, "Wow, thank you _so_ much for that wonderful explanation! Because, without you, we _never_ would have figured out that something was wrong. We may have been fighting for our lives against hordes of psychotic freaks, but of course that's nothing out of—"

Leon stopped Alexander before he could finish, 'Wait, you say this is being caused by a virus or parasite? How do you know?"

"What else could it be?" replied Miller, "what, other than a virus or parasite of some sort, would cause people to behave like this? Almost overnight, countless people become ruthless murderers, leaving Pineridge as a bloody mess? That's no coincidence."

Ashley spoke up, "A bloody mess? What do you mean? Everything was fine when I arrived here up until those two goons attacked me."

"Well, that's what's curious about all this. The exterior of the town, the sections bordering the forest, know almost nothing about any of this. They just go on leading normal lives, completely blind to the horrific events occurring in the interior. Although," he paused for a second, "I think that is beginning to change. Already, the Victims of this epidemic are beginning to appear in the outskirts of the town."

William Miller proceeded to tell the three about the horrifying events taking place in the center of Pineridge. According to Miller, the police were of no use since most of them were Victims themselves. It wasn't uncommon to see bloody, mangled corpses lying in the middle of the street. Shootings, beatings and worse, unspeakable acts were happening every day. Houses were sprayed with blood, internal organs and other forms of gore littered the sidewalks and streets. It wasn't uncommon for an Unaffected to wake up and find bloodied corpses thrown through their windows in the night. The few Unaffected that were left were starting to starve. There food was running out and they were too terrified to leave there homes. The ones that didn't die of starvation were eventually overtaken by the sickness, or whatever it was, and joined in the chaos.

Miller had managed to escape only because of secret pathways passed down to him from his father. Some of Miller's ancestors had been founders of the town and passed down the locations of these passages from generation to generation. There purpose, however, remained unknown to the current generation of the Miller family.

"Once again," started Miller, "the exterior seems to know absolutely nothing about this. It makes no sense whatsoever."

"It sure doesn't sound like any of Umbrella's experiments," commented Leon, "There's no way that the Las Plagas could have spread all this way. Unless… Oh no…"

"What?" asked Ashley and Miller at the same time.

"She must have taken it straight to him…"

Alexander spoke for the first time in a while, "Who must have taken what straight to whom?"

"Umm, never mind," Leon said quickly. Just then, Herald, their "pappy," came with Leon, Ashley and Alexander's food.

"There you go pappyflaps! Remember, it's an old coal miner saying that if your flapjacks get cold, your pappy will die! So I'd eat them quickly if I were you…"

Alexander turned red in the face.

"What. The fuck. Is _up_ with these people?"

No one said anything so the three ate their flapjacks "before they got cold so their pappies didn't die."

They finished their meals and were about to say goodbye to mIller and get on their way when the old man stopped them.

"You can't continue on your own. They will find you, guaranteed. If you come with me, I can lead you to a safe house. From there, we can discuss this further and take action against these Victims."

"Now, hold on a second," began Alexander, "You expect us to just follow you on some escapade through the woods to some supposed 'safe house' just because you told us information that could very well be total bullshit? I don't think so. Leon, Ashley; how do we know we can trust this guy? For all we know, he could be a Victim himself, leading us to our deaths."

Miller stared at Alexander for a few seconds and then spoke,

"Mister Brown, have you paid no attention to the Victims' behavior? They don't operate in that way. I do not think they are intelligent enough to carry out a plan such as the one you are accusing me of. They attack on impulse, out of nowhere. If I were a Victim, at least one of the four of us would be lying dead right now."

Alexander had nothing more to say so Leon stepped in.

"We don't really have much of a choice. This guy is the only ally we have in this. I think we should take our chances. Besides, I think we've proven that we can take these Victims on."

Ashley agreed with Leon, so Alexander, clearly displeased, had decided to go along with it.

"Good night, pappyflaps! Don't let the evil Geeeflies bite!" was Herald's farewell to the four of them. Alexander was tempted to replay with a stinging "fuck you" but decided that he'd rather not risk starting up a conversation with the freak.

Miller led the three through the forest for what seemed to be about 5 hours. At least that's what it seemed like to Alexander. They lost the trail some time ago and Alexander started to wonder if the old man even had a clue where they were going at all.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity to Alexander, Miller finally stopped them in front of a very large, but old looking mapou tree. Miller walked up to the tree and drew a circular item from his pocket. He stuck the item in the trunk of the tree and turned to face Leon, Ashley and Alexander.

"It's not far now. Just a few more minutes."

Alexander stiffened.

"Damn it, you mean we're _still_ not done? We've been fucking walking our asses off for like an hour and a half. This had better be worthwhile."

Miller just turned around and continued on.

_Figures,_ Alexander said to himself, _he ignores me as usual._

After about fifteen more minutes of walking, a structure came into view. It was an old decrepit looking church. The place looked like it was literally falling apart. Paint was chipped off in many places, the wood looked rotted in some areas, and the place looked like it had been built in the 1940's.

_Who the hell puts a church in the middle of the woods?_

"This is it," stated Miller, "Hountfort Church. Don't worry; it's not what it appears to be on the outside. Follow me."

William Miller led them to the entrance of the church. Miller opened the doors and led them in. He was about to speak when,

BAM!

Alexander felt himself smack hard against the church wall. Before he could recover, a large man had him in a tight headlock. He struggled and kicked but could not break free of the man's grip. He managed to get a look at Leon and Ashley. To his dismay, they were both in similar positions.

Alexander tried once more to break free but failed.

"What the hell is going on!" Alexander screamed, and then addressed his captor, "get the fuck off of me you bastard! See, Leon, I KNEW this was a trap!"

William Miller, however, looked less than pleased.

"Andrew, Dominic, Larry! At ease!"

The three men immediately released their captives and stepped back.

Leon spoke, "William, what was that all about! Are these men with you?"

Miller ignored Leon, however, and turned to face the men named Andrew, Dominic, and Larry.

"What was the meaning of that?"

"Well, uuh," one of the men began to say, "I thought our orders were to attack any outsiders that come within our borders in case they might be…you know."

Miller reddened, "They were with me! Did they LOOK like they were assaulting me?"

"Well, no sir. We just thought—"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT!"

Alexander was shocked. William Miller had to at least seventy0five years old by the way he looked, yet he was yelling with all the volume and force of an army general. Alexander had to fight the urge to salute. His respect for the old man grew a small bit in that moment.

Miller continued, "I know you were trying to follow orders. But I'm asking you to use a bit of common sense! I didn't have them restrained and they weren't trying to kill me. Common sense tells you that they're not a threat. The three of you are lucky that I don't give you the cane right here and now."

Whatever the "cane" was, Alexander could tell it wasn't a happy bundle of joy by the way the three men got all fidgety and nervous when Miller mentioned it. There was no question; Miller was the boss here.

"Now," resumed Miller, "instead of trying to kill our guests, why don't you introduce yourselves in a proper manner?"

With that, Alexander's captive stepped forward. He had a medium build. Not too buff, not too skinny; pretty similar to Alexander. He looked like real joker to Alexander. He always seemed to have a smirk on his face.

"My name is Andrew DeSalvo. I'm the weapons expert here at this puny little outpost."

He held out his hand for Alexander, Ashley, and Leon to shake. Then the three of them introduced themselves.

The next man to step forward was Ashley's captor. In Alexander's opinion, the man looked way too huge to be a techie. The guy looked like he lifted heavy weights everyday and then boxed in his spare time. Needless to say, he wasn't anyone Alexander wanted to provoke, although his face and expression didn't look very menacing.

"I'm Dominic Chance. I run the tech department here. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Finally, Leon's captor stepped forward. He had a similar appearance to the first guy, if not a little thinner. This guy, Alexander thought, really needed a shave. His beard went down about 4 inches and didn't really look like it had any form. It was just…there.

"Hey. Name's Larry Kline. I work the radio and communications section of this place. Pretty pointless job since no one knows we exist and I can never get a damn signal out here. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"There," said William, "now isn't that better? Now, how about you show our guests around? Not too long, just a brief overview of the outpost."

The three men agreed and led Leon, Ashley, and Alexander through the large double doors. The first think Alexander noticed was that there was a huge gaping circular hole in the middle of the church floor. In the hole was a spiral stairway leading down into what looked like some kind of underground cavern. The men led them through this hole.

They were given a brief rundown of the weapons that were being held at the outpost and then Dominic showed them the tech room and went into some speech about RAM and processors and hard drives which nearly put Alexander to sleep. He knew all of these facts already. He had taken every computer course his old schools had to offer and then some. Larry showed them the Communications center. It was really nothing more than a small corner of the cavern wall with a cart full of radios, walkie-talkies and some things Alexander had never even heard of. Larry reached into a box on one of the shelves and pulled out three devices that looked like communicators that Alexander had seen in movies before.

"Those are Comm Screens," Leon commented, "latest models, by the looks of it. How did you get access to these?"

"I don't know," replied Larry, "Miller supplies us with all of our equipment. We have no idea where he gets it and if we asked, I doubt he'd give us a straight answer. Anyway, these are yours."

He handed a Comm Screen to the three of them. He started to explain how to use them but Leon interrupted and said that he knew and he could teach Alexander and Ashley.

Larry spoke, "Miller wants to speak with you three. He's waiting for you at the top of the stairs."

Leon nodded in acknowledgement and he, Ashley, and Alexander ascended the spiral staircase up to the actual…church…part of the church. There was Miller, leaning on his cane, waiting.

"Well," he began, "I hoped you enjoyed your tour of the outpost of the last and only S.T.A.R.S. regiment in the world."

Leon nearly choked on his own breath.

"S.T.A.R.S.? I thought they disbanded after the Raccoon City incident!"

"They did," explained Miller, "We're not exactly official. Everyone here, including myself, are old S.T.A.R.S. members that had nothing going for them after the force disbanded. After we first heard news of the Victims, we decided to set up here. So far it's mostly proven to be effective. The Victims have yet to find us here."

"If you say that you've been holding up here," asked Leon, "then what were you doing in Pineridge when you attacked me?"

"Studying," Miller replied, "It would be impossible to defeat the Victims without first knowing how they operate and what mental or physical effects whatever it is that's controlling them may have on them. One thing is clear, however; they're no zombies. Or Ganados either, for that matter. They are far stronger and far more intelligent than either of those two groups. Even more so than humans, I'm afraid."

"Oh, great," started Alexander, "so these things are stronger than us, smarter than, and there are more of them than us. Fucking wonderful."

"Indeed. Anyway, it would be best if you three got some sleep. We have much to cover tomorrow."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Leon.

William Miller showed the three their sleeping area, which was really just another chunk cut out of the rock. There were sleeping bags lined out for them, however, and that made it a bit more bearable.

After quite some time of lying awake and mulling thoughts over in his mind, Alexander was finally able to drift off into sleep, less than thrilled about what lay in wait for him in the morning.

**A/N: I promise that what happened with this chapter won't happen with chapter 7.**


End file.
